Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory vs. Buffalo Bills
By John Buhler
Be creative in the running game
The Raiders know that they won’t have running back Marshawn Lynch available in this game. While Beast Mode has been the battering ram to set up the Raiders’ rushing attack, it is more important than ever for offensive coordinator Todd Downing to get creative in the running game.
Oakland has moved rookie running back Elijah Hood up to the active roster. From the looks of it, it will be Hood, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington who will be asked to pound the rock for the Raiders. However, none of them are what you would consider bell-cow type of backs like Lynch is.
That being said, Downing cannot abandon the run if it isn’t fruitful immediately out of the gate. He might need to run an end-around with wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson or have fullback Jamize Olawale in their to lead block to jump-start this undermanned Raiders ground game.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to get the running backs involved in the receiving game. Going with more of a spread look over the power concepts the Raiders run with Lynch in there could be the way to go. Running on the Bills won’t be easy, but it will be impossible if Downing has a bland game plan for how to use his tailbacks.